Generally, in any textile operation there can be a problem with the strands wrapping about an idler roll. This unintentional "roll wrap", as is known in the art, is especially prevalent when handling strands having a liquid on the surface thereof since the liquid has a tendency to act as an adhesive between the surface of the idler roll and the advancing strand.
A number of different idler roll designs have been developed but the problem still persists. Plain cylindrical surfaces have been used as well as cylinders having a series of parallel grooves located parallel to the axis of rotation thereon, similar to a spline or gear. Also an idler roll having a series of substantially parallel rods partially embedded in a surface of a cylinder have been used for positioning a strand as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,482 issued to R. E. Langlois et al.
Obviously, a device that reduces the tendency of a strand to roll wrap is desireable since a roll wrap generally results in a loss of production during the time it takes to clear the fouled roll and restart the process.